Lindenhurst starts project to ease flooding in nieghborhood

Some Lindenhurst homeowners who have braved storm after storm for years may soon be able to escape their flood-prone properties.

The village is working with Lake County to purchase and demolish 11 properties along Lindenhurst Drive and Wood Lane Drive that have been plagued by flooding. In their place, the village hopes to build a detention area that will control stormwater in the area.

The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission is helping the village apply for a federal grant that would cover 75 percent of the estimated $2 million cost for the project, with the remainder being paid by the village.

"Fifty-some years ago when the homes were originally built, they weren't built with the stormwater piping capacity to properly drain," Village Administrator Matt Formica said. "The area is a low spot. Any type of rain and the property starts flooding."

The village began looking into options to improve stormwater management earlier this year and decided the best would be acquiring the land and creating the detention area.

It is a completely voluntary proposition for the homeowners, Formica said. The village does not need 100 percent of the 11 properties to participate for the project to move forward.

Under the project, the village would purchase properties of those willing to participate at pre-flood values.

"Some folks in the area are saying 'how come my house isn't included,'" Formica said. "Even for those whose house isn't chosen, it will divert the stormwater to the detention area."

Lake County Stormwater Management Commission Director Mike Warner said the county has successfully obtained this grant six times since 1996, and he is fairly confident the village will be successful.

"It's not a quick process. That's one of the most labor-intensive issues," Warner said. "The applications are due fairly soon and once the grant is applied for it may be a year before we hear."

Depending on how long it takes for the village to receive grant approval, demolition of the homes could begin in one to two years, Warner said.

Formica said the village has not discussed how it would pay for its share of the cost if the grant is approved, but possibilities include using cash currently in village reserves, borrowing or attempting to obtain other grants.

"This is a system improvement," Formica said. "It will have a positive benefit for even those properties around it."